The present invention relates to a user management method for managing user authorization for using various apparatus and software, and a computer program having a user authorization management function.
There have been known digital mixers of which “mixer construction” can be custom-made as disclosed in “Operation Manual for DME32 DIGITAL MIXING ENGINE”, Yamaha Corporation, 2001. In the disclosed digital mixer, a sound signal processing section is constructed using a processor (e.g., digital signal processor device or DSP) capable of operating in accordance with a program, and the sound signal processing section can process sound signals on the basis of a mixer construction created/edited using an external personal computer (hereinafter also referred to also as a “PC”). The creation/edition, via the PC, of the mixer construction is performed in accordance with a dedicated mixer control program. Namely, the dedicated mixer control program is executed on the PC to display a mixer editing screen, and components that function as constituent elements for performing signal processing are positioned on the mixer editing screen. On the mixer editing screen, the thus-positioned components are connected, via connecting lines, to define input/output relationships, so as to create/edit a mixer construction. The thus-created/edited mixer construction is transferred from the PC to the digital mixer, and the digital mixer in turn executes the mixer construction to implement behavior based on the mixer construction. Further, on an online mode, the mixer control program run on the PC and the digital mixer are synchronized with each other, so that the digital mixer can be controlled in real time by the mixer control program run on the PC.
Examples of the above-mentioned components include preset components (hereinafter referred to as “P components”) and custom components (hereinafter referred to as “C components”). The P components are each a fundamental unit of a constituent element of the mixer construction, and each of the C components comprises a combination of a plurality of P components so that the combination can be handled as a single component. Such C components can be created/edited as desired by a user having predetermined authorization.
With such a mixer control program, it is possible to define user authorization per user using the program and define a range of editable settings per defined user authorization. Normally, a user name (e.g., Administrator) having a highest hierarchical position (or rank) and granted administrator authorization is pre-defined, and thus, any user, having purchased a mixer engine, initially logs on to the mixer control program using the pre-defined user name (e.g., Administrator), then appropriately registers one or more user names of his or her own, and then freely sets user authorization for the individual registered user names.
Some “suppliers” (such as makers of software mixers, suppliers of mixer constructions, parameters etc.) create and sell mixer constructions. If the highest user authorization is granted to a user name of a given user having purchased a mixer construction created by such a supplier, then the given user can see all of supplier's know-how applied to the mixer construction, in which case the mixer constructions and related parameters can not be protected as know-how. In cases where a supplier creates and sells C components, similar inconveniences would be encountered; that is, any interested user can freely see a construction and parameters of the C components. In some cases, suppliers may want to hide, from users, details of the entire constructions and parameters of the mixer constructions and C components sold by the suppliers.
The aforementioned are problems commons to cases where an additional function is to be incorporated into a system having a given fundamental function. In connection with the cases where an additional function is incorporated in a system, a scheme has been known, in accordance with which, when a user has made a request to use the additional function, the user is requested to enter a password etc. for using the additional function; with the scheme, however, there is a risk of the protection of the creator's (or supplier's) know-how being undesirably broken by the user attempting password entry many times (e.g., entering many possible passwords one after another).
Also known are software and systems that are usable by users obtaining predetermined user authorization. In the field of ordinary operating systems (OSs) and databases, there has been known a scheme in which each individual user is grouped when an account of the user is to be created, and, when the user has logged in or on by entering a user name and password on a log-in screen, the user is granted use authorization (for using desired software or system) corresponding to the group the user belongs to. Normally, there is set a special user or group called “Administrator” which has authorization to perform all operation. This Administrator adds a new user, changes authorization of an existing user, deletes an existing user, and performs management of passwords. Also known is a scheme which divides users into groups and sets a special user having sub-administrator authorization capable of performing user management per group (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. HEI-11-298514).
With the aforesaid conventionally-known digital mixers and mixer control programs, it is possible to define authorization of each individual user and define a permissible range of use and edit for each user authorization. Because a user name (e.g., Administrator) having highest administrator authorization is pre-defined, any user, having purchased a mixer engine, initially logs on to the mixer control program using the pre-defined user name (e.g., Administrator), then appropriately registers one or more user names of his or her own and then freely sets user authorization for the individual registered user names, as noted above. Management of such user's use authorization is performed in a similar manner to the aforementioned use authorization management in OSs etc.
Further, the aforesaid digital mixers and mixer control programs include not a few data and functions for which authorization settings are to be made per user group, in a similar manner to the aforementioned technique applied to OSs etc. In such a case, it suffices to create user groups and give each of the groups authorization concerning the data and functions. However, there is a need to explicitly create user groups and define authorization for each of the groups, which would require cumbersome and laborious operations. Besides, no sub-group can be created in the groups. The technique disclosed in “Operation Manual for DME32 DIGITAL MIXING ENGINE” identified above can set a sub-administrator capable of performing user management per user group, but setting such a sub-administrator too would involve cumbersome and laborious operation.